National Cemeteries Week: Medics at West Norwood Cemetery

West Norwood Cemetery is the resting place of people who changed the face of medicine in their time and while their achievements are in themselves remarkable, their life stories are equally impressive. Amongst many others, we will visit Dr Distin Edmund Maddick’s stunning mausoleum and hear about his career as a surgeon and his services to the King of Italy (and his later career as a theatre impresario). We’ll learn about Dr William Marsden who founded the Royal Free and Royal Marsden Hospitals and hear about his son’s medical service during the Crimean War and his later work at the Brompton Cancer Hospital.

We will also meet Sister Eliza Roberts who was Florence Nightengale’s principal nurse during the Crimean War; despite Nightengale’s reliance on Roberts’ robust clinical skills, the two had a reportedly fractious relationship. And then it’s on to Sir William Hood whose compassion and forward-thinking revolutionised the Victorian asylum system during his time as Superintendent of Bethlam Royal Hospital. We will also visit, amongst others, George Huggins Dolland who joined the family optical instrument business in 1788 and revolutionised optometry with instruments still in use today.

Good to know: please meet your guide Andrea Woodside under the arched (main) entrance off Norwood Road for a prompt 2:30pm start. As the cemetery is hilly and uneven in places, we recommend that you wear sturdy walking shoes. If you have any mobility concerns, please get in touch with me and I can advise. Unfortunately, dogs (even on leads) are not allowed in the cemetery.

How to find us: West Norwood Cemetery (SE27 9JU) is located next to St Luke's Church and West Norwood Library. Buses: 2, 68, 196, 315, 322, 432 and 468 (several of these routes go via Brixton Tube Station) or West Norwood Rail Station (trains to and from London Bridge/Victoria). Limited off-street parking is available.

This tour is being offered on behalf of The Friends of West Norwood Cemetery and your kind donation will help us to continue to preserve this very special space. Please note that due to a quirk of the system each ticket has to be booked separately - something to bear in mind if you are coming with other people.

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